Sinn der Hilfe Engel ! » The lowly Arizona Cardinals pulled off an upset

GREEN BAY Taylor Rapp Jersey , Wis. (AP) — at Lambeau Field that was so much a stunner that the Green Bay Packers fired coach Mike McCarthy after the game.Zane Gonzalez kicked a 44-yard field goal with 1:41 left, Green Bay’s Mason Crosby missed a 49-yard attempt as time expired and the Cardinals braved wintry conditions to hold on for a 20-17 victory on Sunday.The Packers (4-7-1) announced McCarthy’s dismissal following the postgame availabilities with the media. Team president Mark Murphy made the move after Green Bay took another debilitating hit to its fading playoff hopes.Article continues below ...“The 2018 season has not lived up to the expectations and standards of the Green Bay Packers,” Murphy said in a statement. “As a result, I made the difficult decision to relieve Mike McCarthy of his role as head coach, effective immediately.”For McCarthy, a tenure highlighted by a Super Bowl win in the 2010 season ends with a loss to Arizona (3-9), one of the worst teams in the league.After the game, but before the Packers fired McCarthy, the Cardinals were joking and yelling in the visitor’s locker room as if they didn’t believe what had just happened.“We did that! We did that,” some emotional players yelled.Cardinals rookie Josh Rosen struggled for much of the afternoon, but hit Larry Fitzgerald for a sliding 32-yard completion on third-and-23 to help set up Gonzalez’s winning kick.“It’s hard to win in this league and it’s been a long time since we won a football game,” coach Steve Wilks said.It was Oct. 28, to be exact Shareef Miller Jersey , when the Cardinals beat San Francisco at home. Until Sunday, their only other victory this season came on the road against the 49ers.Crosby pushed his kick wide right, with the flags atop Lambeau blowing in toward the field at the time of the play. Green Bay’s playoff hopes took another significant blow.“It was clearly a very disappointing loss, it was a game we needed to win,” McCarthy said in his final press conference, before his firing was announced.Gonzalez just joined the team this week after Phil Dawson was placed on injured reserve. The Cardinals had a patchwork offensive line, which didn’t bode well for what had been the league’s worst offense coming into the day.“All the things that were said on the outside, these guys circled the wagons and came together,” Wilks said.Green Bay has lost three straight and five of six.Aaron Rodgers was 31 of 50 for 233 yards and a touchdown. A couple throws looked off, especially in the first half, and receivers had a few drops.The offense regained some swagger after Rodgers orchestrated a 95-yard drive that led to Aaron Jones‘ 8-yard touchdown run with 5:26 left, tying it at 17. Davante Adams tip-toed the sideline for a 19-yard catch to extend that drive.But too many missed opportunities and drops caught up with the Packers in the end. They struggled on third down, going 3 for 14 in the continuation of a season-long theme.Rookie Chase Edmonds ran for two touchdowns for Arizona. Rosen was 11 of 26 for 149 yards Germaine Pratt Jersey , making just enough plays in front of a makeshift offensive line.“Other than (center Mason Cole), I don’t think a single one of those guys start the season,” Rosen said. “They’re doing a hell of a job.”IT’S FITZFitzgerald’s 32-yard reception gave him 1,281 for his career, matching Hall of Famer Jerry Rice for most receptions in NFL history with one team.“I’m not big on the records,” Fitzgerald said. “This is a difficult place to get a win and we needed it badly. It’s been a rough year. Mostly, I’m just happy we were able to come out victorious.”RODGERS’ INPUTRodgers said his focus was getting his teammates to “play with that pride” and focus on the next four games. The Packers still have a chance to make the postseason, however slim.“Yeah, I mean I’m not even thinking about that right now,” Rodgers said when asked if he would have any role with Murphy or general manager Brian Gutekunst about what direction they should go with the coaching staff.McCarthy’s dismissal was announced about an hour later.The offensive players, Rodgers said, bear blame for whatever happens in the future.“Yeah, a lot probably. We haven’t played very well http://www.bengalsauthorizedshops.com/authentic-ryan-finley-jersey ,” he said.KEY PLAYRosen’s 32-yard completion to Fitzgerald sapped momentum from the Packers after Arizona was pushed back to its own 12. Dean Lowry sacked Rosen on first down, and Rosen threw an incompletion on second-and-18 following a botched snap. Wilks said he likes how Rosen shook off earlier struggles.RODGERS RECORDA 16-yard completion to Adams with 13:42 left in the second quarter gave Rodgers the team record for attempts without an interception. Hall of Famer Bart Starr set the previous mark of 294 from 1964-65.INJURY REPORTCardinals: LG Mike Iupati was carted off the field in the third quarter with a knee injury. Arizona was already starting rookies at center and right tackle.Packers: RG Byron Bell and RT Bryan Bulaga each left in the second quarter with knee injuries.UP NEXTCardinals: Host the Detroit Lions on Dec. 9.Packers: Host the Atlanta Falcons on Dec. 9. METAIRIE, La. (AP) — The irritation was evident in Saints coach Sean Payton’s voice on Monday.The end of the regular season meant a number of his colleagues were getting fired .That meant clubs with new vacancies would be requesting interviews with assistants on the most successful teams, such as New Orleans, during the very time Payton wants to focus on getting ready for the playoffs.While Payton tersely mentioned that assistants such as defensive coordinator Dennis Allen, offensive coordinator Pete Carmichael Jr. and tight ends coach Dan Campbell all would make good head coaches, he said he didn’t want to talk about that now. He was more concerned with the recent performance of his team. New Orleans’ 33-14 loss at home to Carolina on Sunday gave the Saints two losses in their past five games. They needed fourth-quarter comebacks in their past three victories, two of which were decided by just three points.“With the way we played yesterday and some of the things that we’ve done offensively recently, our focus is going to be strictly on the Saints and the fundamentals and techniques we need to improve on,” Payton said. “We’ve got a lot of things we want to improve on — and this week gives us a chance to do that.”As the NFC’s top seed, New Orleans has a first-round bye and is just two home victories from reaching the second Super Bowl in the franchise’s 52 seasons. What remains to be seen is whether the Saints can recapture the juggernaut form and swagger of midseason, when they posted a handful of multi-touchdown triumphs.“The No. 1 seed guarantees you nothing except you host a playoff game,” Saints defensive tackle Sheldon Rankins said Renell Wren Jersey , noting that New Orleans cannot afford to dismiss Sunday’s loss to Carolina as an outlier — even if it was a low-stakes game with numerous starters seeing less action than usual.Quarterback Drew Brees and dynamic running back Alvin Kamara were among the Saints that saw no action on Sunday, and numerus others saw their snap counts scaled back.Still, they expected to be more competitive than they were. They were down by 30 before scoring their first points in the fourth quarter, and it was the first time since Payton took over as coach in 2006 that his team had been shut out at home in the first half.“When teams start to game-plan for us, they’re going to turn on that tape,” Rankins said. “They’re going to see things they think they can attack. So for us, it’s on us to fix those mistakes.”Tight end Ben Watson said it is common for fundamentals to slip on all clubs throughout the season, particularly as it relates to the more physical elements of football, such as blocking to tackling, as coaches focus more on preserving players’ health.“You’re usually as fundamentally sound as you’re going to be at the end of training camp,” Watson said. “Fast-forward five months, our practice aren’t as long, our practices sometimes aren’t padded — not just us http://www.bengalsauthorizedshops.com/authentic-michael-jordan-jersey , everybody — because of the attrition that happens during the season.“Fundamentals is what’s going to take you where you want to go. It always has. It always will,” Watson said. “Over time, when you get into game plans and you’re not just doing that all the time, you lose some of that. So now is a good week to just sharpen that stuff up.”Meanwhile, veterans who’ve won championships have been trying to share their experience with younger players about the level of focus required to advance in the playoffs.“You’ve got to really embrace this opportunity that we have because you understand it’s very hard to get in this position,” said offensive tackle Jermon Bushrod, who was part of the Saints only Super Bowl team 10 seasons ago. “You’ve got to really focus and take your preparation to the next level and eliminate distractions.“Whether it’s turning the TV off, getting off the phone or going to bed early, we’ve got to find a way to give ourselves, individually, an extra edge,” he said.